My Everything
by justcrazykids
Summary: 'Prim frantically leads me into the pitch black town and we're greeted by the sound of a whip and a female's agonized screams. I look to Prim and everything I need to know is within her pained eyes. Katniss is being whipped.' This is the story of how Katniss was whipped and how Gale cared for her and loved her. *No Games, Katniss is NOT a victor. G/K; Gale POV; T-Rating;


**My Everything**

"Night, Catnip."

"G'night, Gale."

Our usual embrace before our parting is warm, despite the chill of the autumn air. Her arms don't entirely fit around my muscular abdomen, while my arms could fit around her tiny waist ten times over. I kiss the top of her head discreetly. She doesn't care for affection much, even if it's only friendly.

Of course it's not friendly, at least not to me. I can never tell her, but I've grown to love her as more than a friend would and should. She's come to be my everything. A day without seeing her is a day wasted.

In the years we've hunted together, we created a bond, a friendship. While establishing that, I've noticed every small detail about her. Through our years, I've come to love them all.

We release each other, but I do so reluctantly. She laughs when I pout, but continues on her way. As she walks off, I notice that her direction is to the town, not to her own home. I almost yell for her, but I conclude that she's just off to trade something at the Hob or to buy something from the market.

I walk up the stairs and into my bright, warm house. Happy cheers of my name sound from around me and I smile.

…

Dinner is small, but enjoyable nonetheless. My mother talks to the Vick and Rory about their schoolwork while I tell Posy of the woods.

"Aren't you scawed, Gawle?"

"Me? Scared?" I chuckle for effect.

"Not even of da beaws?"

"Not the bears, not the foxs, not the coyotes. But sometimes the bunny rabbits scare me a little."

She giggles and I laugh in response. "So you not scawed of _anyfing _out dere_?" _

"Nope."

"Are you scared of _anyfing _at all?"

"Hmmm." I ponder her question for a little bit. "Nope, I don't think _anything_ scares me, Pose."

"I don't beweive that!"

"Me neither," Rory chimes in dryly. I scowl at him, but burst out laughing, as Posy creeps up behind him and screams.

"Kids!"

…

By the time I'm cleaned up and ready to go to bed, everyone else is sleeping soundly. I find my way through the pitch dark room and into my bed. It's cold, but I surround myself in blankets and raise my temperature.

I lay for a few minutes, just thinking about everything. It's become a habit of mine to scrutinize and overanalyze everything when it's time to rest.

I think about Katniss. She's become the center of my world, so obviously the center of my thoughts as well. I think about her smile and her laugh, but also her short-lived scowls.

I relive the day we spent, catching tired rabbits and squirrels at dawn and then going for the larger turkeys and deer in the evening. I smile at all of the times I made her laugh or even just smirk.

Everything we did plays through my mind on fast-forward. I can't help but yearn for a happy ending for our story. It's grown from a want to a need for her to be mine. But I can't force her to love me. I just have to hope that her feelings grow as strong as mine.

The last thing I think of before being taken over by fatigue is Katniss's lightly smiling face pulling away from my arms and leaving for home.

…

"Oh my lord," I hear my mother gasp loudly from somewhere at the front of the house. "Gale! GALE!"

Her horrified tones makes me spring from my bed and into the living room as fast as possible. "What is it, mom?"

She's turns to me and in a second someone's hugging me with all the might they possess. "Oh god, Gale"

I recognize the voice instantly as Prim's. "Prim, what's wrong? What happened?"

She shakes her head violently and mutters through my tear-soaked shirt, "Katniss."

…

Prim leads me into the town and we're there in no time. In the distance I can hear the sound of a whip and a female scream. I look down to Prim and the pained expression in her eyes tell me all I need to know.

Katniss is being whipped.

We take off in the direction of the noise until eventually the screaming stops. I feel my heart stop and then rise into my throat. "Come on," I say hastily.

It's not long before we reach the Square. The street lights have been turned on and a whipping post has been set up. On the whipping post, lies a limp and bloodied girl. My Catnip.

At the sight, Prim breaks down. I don't stay to console her, however. Immediately, I'm pushing past all of the psychotic spectators and running to the stairs of the stage, screaming for the man to stop.

When I'm up the stairs, my heart stops again and I realize that my tears are sliding down my cheeks. "You're gonna kill her!" I shout. "Stop, you're gonna kill her!"

The man steps back and looks at his work. I push past him and kneel by Katniss's side. It takes some amount of will power not to vomit at the smell, at the gore, or at the uncertainty. Behind me, I hear the man snicker. It takes even more will power not to knock him out.

I brush the damp, matted hair from out of her face. My hand finds her cold, limp one. I check her wrist with my hopes high, but the nagging voice in my head focused on how low her survival rate is.

When I feel the dull thud of her pulse, my eyes widen and I smile. "It's gonna be okay, Catnip. I promise."

"Gaaaale," she whimpers. Her eyes open the slightest bit and they reflect all of the pain that she feels.

I sling her onto my back, holding only her legs. "You gotta hold on to me now, baby." I let the endearment slip out accidentally, but she must miss it or not mind it, because she wraps her arms around my neck.

Her grip is loose, but I don't have any time to think of a better method to get her to her home. I hear her shallow breathes in my ear, as well as all of the pained moans.

"Katniss!" Prim shrieks as we reach her. "She's not…" Her voice sounds horrified to say the least.

"Prim," Katniss mumbles feebly.

A small smile lights up Prim's tear-stained face. "We'll fix you up, Kat. You'll be better in no time."

…

By the time we reach the Everdeen's house, Katniss has passed out again and I've begun to panic. My mind keeps forcing me to think of all the what-ifs.

_What if she lost too much blood?_

_What if she can't walk?_

_What if her back can't be fixed?_

I sit in the tiny living room of the Everdeen's home, contemplating the endless, horrible possibilities. I sit there for what seems like hours, staring at nothing in particular as the tears roll down my cheeks.

I don't stop worrying until Mrs. Everdeen and Prim open the door to one of the bedrooms and motion for me to come inside.

I go to Katniss's side immediately. Her hair has been washed and her back has been bandaged and reclothed. I touch her arm, seeking warmth and finding it. My hand lingers near hers and before I can intertwine my fingers with hers, she's already grabbed it. Her grasp is enough to break my hand, but I don't mind. _She _wants to hold _my_ hand.

I smile, but the tears continue to fall. I've never cried in front of anyone, but the subject of my pride is worthless to me right now. "I'm here Catnip."

She smiles a pained, but true smile. "'course you are. Just don't leave, 'kay?"

"I won't. I promise."

…

It's a while that I sit holding Katniss's hand. We talk of mind-numbing things like hunting and school. I try to keep her mind occupied so she doesn't focus on the pain as much. To some extent, it works.

When Mrs. Everdeen comes into the room, I barely notice. "Gale, I need to give her some medicine now."

"Okay," I reply. I unwillingly stand up while still holding her hand in my own.

Mrs. Everdeen injects Katniss with a small dosage of morphine and her eyes instantly begin to droop. "Stay with me," she slurs.

"Always." I kiss her forehead and whisper into her hair, "I love you."

I say it quietly enough so she doesn't hear, but somehow her ears pick up my words. Directly after my words, she slurs, "I love you too."

…

"You can go to bed now, Gale. We set up the couch for-"

"I'm staying here."

Prim sighs, but looks as though she expected it. "You're not gonna stay awake all night, right?"

I gnaw on my lip. "Maybe I will."

"You'll know when she wakes up you know…" She grimaces. "She might wake up the entire neighborhood."

With that, I look up to Prim. "Why's that?"

"She's not in much pain right now since she's on morphine. But when she wakes up, it'll be out of her system and she'll feel everything."

A look of horror becomes of my face. "Well why can't you give her more so she doesn't feel it?"

She looks sadly at me, then to her peacefully sleeping sister. "If we give her too much, she'll die of an overdose. We can't get her hooked on it, morphine can make people really sick if they abuse it."

"Can you give her something besides morphine?"

"We can and we will, but it won't be nearly effective."

It's painful to accept the reality and the fact that there isn't another choice. All I can muster is a quick nod before looking back to Katniss.

Prim stays, although it must be nearing dawn by now and she needs rest. She stays in the doorway for a few moments before coming to sit beside me. "Gale?" she starts.

"Yeah, Prim?"

"Thank you. You saved my sister, you saved _me._"

I choose my next words carefully. "If I wouldn't have gotten Katniss home, I wouldn't have been able to live myself."

She looks up at me, but my eyes remain focused on Katniss's delicate, beautiful features. Under her breath, Prim mutters, "I always knew you loved her."

I chuckle. "I always knew too."

"But you know…" She proceeds cautiously. "Katniss loves you also. You know that right?"

I can't help but smile at that. "I'm in the process of figuring that out."

Prim leaves soon after telling me her sister's secret. Soon after that, I pass out from exhaustion.

Just before that, however, I look over Katniss's peaceful, angelic features. It may be the last time seeing her so calm and content.

…

I sleep for a long time. When I wake, I hear the clock tower all the way in the center of town striking noon. There is little sunlight, even for midday. The sun has been consumed by ubiquitous clouds. There's a chill in the air, I can tell because the room is cold and I can feel a draft.

I notice a blanket placed atop me and a pillow at my head. I also notice that both of my hands are empty. I look up and surely enough, Katniss is gone.

It takes mere seconds before I'm off of the floor and walking into the living room. Prim lies on the couch sleeping soundly. I walk into the kitchen next and find Mrs. Everdeen at Katniss's side. I approach them.

"Why'd you move her?"

For a moment, Mrs. Everdeen looks startled. She quickly, however, regains her composure. "She didn't want to wake you."

"She was awake?"

"For a while." Mrs. Everdeen looks down on her sleeping daughter. "We had to inject her with more morphine. She couldn't take the pain."

My eyes meet the floor and my heart breaks just a little more. "When will she wake up?"

"Probably…" she thinks for a moment. "Within the next few hours. I can't guarantee that, we had to give her a pretty high dosage."

I swallow hard. "She's gonna be okay, right? And she's not in pain right now, is she?"

"I expect her to make a full recovery. You of all people should know how strong she is, Gale." Before answering my other question, she pats her daughter's head. "Morphine numbs everything for a while. She won't be able to feel much of anything, but when she wakes up, it'll hit her hard."

"And you can't keep giving her morphine?"

"Morphine is easy to get addicted to. It also has some pretty nasty side effects. I didn't want to give her anymore, but… she was in a lot of pain."

With that, I walk over to Katniss's side and kiss her cheek. They are still slightly damp and her eyes are noticeably red.

"Thank you," Mrs. Everdeen says suddenly.

"For what?" Besides carrying her home, I didn't do much of anything.

"Being there for her throughout everything. You've been a wonderful friend to her."

"It's no problem. I _enjoy _being her friend."

For the first time ever, I actually see Mrs. Everdeen smile. "She enjoys being yours as well." With a final pat on her daughters head, Mrs. Everdeen departs the room. From the doorway, she says, "Maybe one day you can convince her to be more than that."

I'm left with my mouth gaping. Did she just _give me her blessing? _

…

A few hours later, just as Mrs. Everdeen said, Katniss awakens, writhing in pain. Each of her screams takes a toll on me, as well as Prim and her mother.

I clutch onto her hand as if it were my only lifeline. She does likewise. I can't help the tears that pool in my eyes as I watch her cry and see her pain.

Finally, when her thrashing is over, Mrs. Everdeen injects her with a pain reliever. She explains that it's not as strong as morphine, but it will still take some of the pain away.

A few minutes later, Katniss's screams and cries die down. Prim soon leaves the room in a fit and Mrs. Everdeen trails after her.

"Prim," Katniss mumbles.

"She's okay," I reply thickly. "She just can't stand to see you in pain."

"And you can?" she quickly replies.

"No, I can't… But I promised that I would stay with you."

She smiles at me and I smile back. For a few minutes, we just stay like that, enjoying each other's company.

Prim finally enters the room, her eyes bloodshot and her face flushed pink. "Katniss?" she says hesitantly.

Katniss cranes her neck to see her little sister. "Hey Prim."

Nervously, Prim inches closer and closer to the table. "How're you doing?"

"I've been better. But I'll get through this."

Prim begins to cry again and murmurs, "Of course you will. You're the strongest person I know."

…

The next day, Rory makes a visit to the Everdeen house. "How long will he be staying?"

"He can leave now if he'd like. She's in the process of healing."

Immediately, I meet my brother in the living room. "I think I'll be staying a little longer." I look to Mrs. Everdeen and she gives me a small smile.

"You can stay as long as you'd like, Gale."

I grin. "I'll come home in a few days, Ror. Can you bring over some stuff?"

At first, my brother's face is annoyed, but when Katniss calls my name from the kitchen, a look of understanding comes to his face.

"I'll be there in a minute," I call over. I fetch a piece of paper and a pen and quickly scribble down a list of essentials.

Rory looks over the look as I finish and nods his head. "Posy wanted me to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"First she wanted me to tell you that she misses you. And she wanted to know if you were scared when Katniss got hurt?"

I chuckle, remembering our conversation from dinner. "Tell her that I miss her too and that yes, I was scared."

…

Prim, Mrs. Everdeen and I all sit around Katniss as she tells the story of why she was whipped.

"I had to go into town quick, to get some salt. I figured while I was there, I'd sell the turkey I shot. I tried selling it at the Hob but there was hardly anyone sober there, so I took it to the Peacekeepers."

Prim's gasp causes Katniss to laugh a little. "You sell to _Peacekeepers?_"

"All the time, me and Gale both." I give a sly smile and nod. "Anyways, I had my turkey and I went up to the door of the station. Someone unfamiliar opened the door, so I tried to hide the turkey as fast as I could. He saw it before I could hide it."

"So there's a new Peacekeeper?"

"A new _head _Peacekeeper," she responds. "He pulled me inside and took the turkey from me. I tried to say I caught it in the meadow, but he wouldn't believe it. I tried to run but he caught me. Then I… I…"

"You what?" I ask worriedly.

"I punched him." Prim and Mrs. Everdeen's faces pale simultaneously. I, however, break out into a huge grin. Katniss grins back. "He got really angry at that, so he handcuffed me and sent me into one of the cells in back of the Justice Building.

I stayed back there for a while. I heard the man talking to someone else about getting me hung, but in the end they compromised on a whipping. They were gonna hold it in the morning, but the new man demanded it be that night."

"So you almost _died _over a turkey?" Prim asks, astounded.

"That and punching a Peacekeeper," she says grimly. "So the guy took me out and told me that I'd be whipped 50 times for my offense. When he started, a whole bunch of people came out to watch. It was sick."

"When I found you, there was a big crowd watching. It reminded me a bit a Reaping, what with all of the pity in the atmosphere."

"I was unconscious when you got to me, but I heard to screaming for them to stop right before I blacked out."

"Yeah, you were in… _pretty _bad shape." I run a hand through my hair, trying not to picture how lifeless she looked by the time I got her.

"Gale, don't you ever try to sell to the Peacekeepers station. I don't want this to be you a few months from now."

Mrs. Everdeen taps Prim's shoulder and cues them to exit the room. I smile gratefully as they shut the door behind them.

"Don't _you _ever scare me like that again, Catnip. I thought I lost you."

Her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes this time. "Gale, losing me wouldn't be too hard. You're a great hunter alone and you have a ton of friends."

"Yeah, but none of them are you."

She laughs, but again, it doesn't meet her eyes. "That's a good thing, I'd say."

"I don't say. You don't realize how important you are to me, Catnip."

For a few seconds she lay motionless, as if contemplating something. Finally, she speaks again. "Did you mean what you said on the night I was whipped?"

"Of course…" I say immediately. Soon after, I regret my words. I love her and now she knows. But does she love me back? "What about you? Did you mean what you said?"

She doesn't immediately respond and I feel my heart shattering in my chest. Oddly enough, I also feel tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. This experience has made me soft and vulnerable.

"Gale…" Here it comes. "When I said that I love you…" Prepare to lose her. "I meant it."

…

As the days pass, Katniss improves dramatically. By the end of the first week, she can sit up without much discomfort. She can even lie on her back, as long she's being properly supported.

Along with her improvement in health, our relationship continues to develop. I stay with her for all of my free time. We talk of memories and of the future. We dream of our life together and everything we can have.

Katniss has told me before that she doesn't want kids, solely because of the fear of them being reaped. While I would love to have children, I can understand her apprehension. I don't tell her of me gaining her mother's blessing, in fact we don't talk at all of marriage. One day, I believe I can get her to be my wife, but for now I can live with her as my girlfriend.

"I'll be back soon, I promise," I tell her, just before going out to hunt.

"Okay. Bring me back a deer."

We both laugh and I capture her mouth with my own. When we break apart, I mumble, "I love you."

"I love you too."

…

It's three months before Katniss is completely healed. Although her back is still heavily scarred, she can still perform basic activities, like hunting. During the time where she was immobile, we bonded a great deal.

The few extra days I planned to stay with the Everdeens' evolved into a few extra months. During the entire ordeal, I stayed with Katniss, besides the time I allotted to hunting, school, and visiting my family.

It's been three and a half months since I've slept in my own bed. I've taken the floor, the couch, and most recently, the bed with Katniss. Her mother doesn't seem to mind. She trusts me, which I'm grateful for.

Katniss and I both change each other; I get her to be more trusting and accepting, while she teaches me compassion. By the end of the third month, we're both keen to each other.

"You up to hunting today?"

"Of course I am!"

"Race 'ya to the woods?"

"You're on."

It comes as a surprise when Katniss wins, especially considering that she just started walking again two weeks ago. "God, how do you _do _that?"

"I guess I'm just faster than you," she says with a sly grin on her face.

"Oh really?" Before she can reply, she's pinned under me, stunned and unbelieving.

"What the hell!"

"So much for being the fast one," I laugh.

Our position is tempting to say the least. When she realizes this, I've already begun attacking her face and neck with kisses.

"Gale," she moans, after I bite just a little too hard on her neck. That's definitely going to leave a mark.

She wraps her skinny arms around my neck as mine find her hips. Then she begins pummeling my face with her own kisses. When she reaches my neck, she whispers, "Two can play at this game," and she bites down hard, giving me an identical hickey to the one I'd given her.

Our kissing eventually develops more passion, need, and lust than ever before. Although I'd never subject Katniss into doing something that personal without her consent, I can't help when my hands travel inward from her hips and rest on her backside.

"Gale," she moans again, this time with feverish want and need.

"What is it? What do you need?" I ask, my face mere centimeters away from her own.

"I need _you._" Her face turns scarlet, but I'm not in the mood to resist either of our mutual needs.

Grudgingly, I reconfirm her permission. "You're sure you want to do this?"

She bites her lip. "If you don't want to… I understand."

I can't help but laugh at that. "Trust me; there isn't anything else I want to do more. I just want to make sure you're ready."

"Gale, I trust you. If it was anyone else, I'd never be doing this, but with you, I know it's what I want."

With a huge grin, I say, "That's all I needed to hear," and then I'm working my way down her body.

...

She wasn't my first, but she was the first and only one to matter. I never imagined doing anything nearly as intimate as _that _with Katniss Everdeen, but sure enough, we did it. And it was the most amazing thing ever.

We lie on the ground, stark naked wrapped around each other. Her head is settled into the crook of my neck and she's barely able to stay awake.

Five minutes later, her breathing has evened out and she's fast asleep. I hold her it my arms, marveling at how stunning she is. Her features are so perfect and precise, it's unfathomable. I stroke her cheek with my free hand, while my other remains intertwined with hers.

I stroke the scars on her back next. I can tell where each one is; they leave indents that haven't yet leveled out. They're all an off-pink and there is a certain permanence to them. Her mother isn't positive whether they will ever entirely heal, so her back may always be scarred.

It's not exactly a bad thing, either. The marks on her back will always serve as a reminder of what brought us together. They also can represent that we can get through anything and everything together.

I kiss her cheek lovingly before nudging her shoulder. "Come on, babe. We gotta get back."

"Can't we just stay out here?"

I smile at the idea, but say, "Your mom'll start to worry."

"But-"

"No buts. Besides, I think your bed is much comfier than a patch of grass."

We find our clothes strewn about the little clearing and dress languidly. While putting on my shirt, Katniss stops me. "What is it?"

She points to the line of purple marks going from my neck to my shoulder. "Did _I _make those?"

I turn around and show her the scratches on my back. "Catnip has claws," I say wickedly.

"Gale, I'm sor-"

"Don't be. Look at what I did to _you_." I pull off her shirt and gesture to the randomly placed hickeys. Her eyes widen and she pokes at them. A specific one partially covered by her bra catches her attention.

She narrows her eyes at me, but she doesn't say anything. "Sorry?" I say innocently.

"Just for_ these_, you have to carry me home."

"And that's a punishment?"

"Remember those claw marks on your back, Hawthorne?"

…

Four months later, I carry a small, velvet covered box in my pocket. It's weightless, but it takes a great amount of strength to carry it.

What if she says no?

What if it's too soon?

What if she doesn't want marriage?

All of the endless 'what-ifs' plague me, just as always.

I try hard to catch up with Katniss, having needed to leave her to get the ring from my own home. I find her sitting lazily in our spot, eating strawberries. "That was fast," she grins.

"Couldn't keep you waiting, now could I?"

She stands from the tree stump she'd been perched on and sprints over to me. I catch her and put her atop my shoulders. She nibbles on my ear a little and murmurs, "Of course not."

"Since we have enough game to last us awhile, I want to take you somewhere nice for the day."

She doesn't hesitate to agree. Since our relationship started, she's lost some of her stubbornness and worry.

I carry her on my back, as I do quite often. After an hour of walking, Katniss begins to get impatient. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see, we aren't far at all."

The walk continues for another few minutes and finally I reach the pathway to the meadow.

"Okay Catnip, get down and close your eyes. I'll guide you along."

She shimmies down my back and takes my hand. I guide her through the think foliage and we break out into the clearing of the meadow. "Open your eyes."

"Oh my God," she says, awe-stricken. "It's beautiful."

The meadow I chose to propose to Katniss has an abundance of beautiful flowers and many different species of birds. My father had talked about it when he was alive and I recently scoped it out, just for this purpose.

Katniss bounds back into my arms and kisses me full on the mouth. "It's beautiful, Gale, it really is."

"It's a beautiful place for a beautiful girl," I respond cheekily.

She blushes, but resumes kissing me. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Catnip."

…

Our day in the flower meadow is spent doing a combination of things. For a little, we fish in the pond near the garden. Then we fall into easy conversation. Finally, we make love in a patch of bright colored lilies. It's amazing and blissful, just as always.

When we finish, I ask Katniss to retrieve my pants, which she does obligingly so. "Wait… there's something I want you to get out of one of the pockets."

My heart feels as if it's about to beat out of my chest. What if she says n-

"Gale…" she says when she's found the little velvet box.

I walk over to her, not focused on my clad appearance, nor on hers. "Open it." I hear her gasp as I get down on one knee directly in front of her. I grab her free hand and hold it to my heart. "Katniss Everdeen, you're my world. You're my everything. You're all I've ever wanted in life and I love you so much." This time, I'm not surprised to feel the tears welling in my eyes. "Catnip, will you be my wife?"

It takes her less than a full second to give me her answer. "Of course I will." I scoop her into my arms and she nestles her head against my neck. "I love you, Gale," she says thickly.

"I love you too, Catnip." And for the second time in a day, our bodies mold into one.

…

One month later, after our simple toasting and the feast held afterwards, my new wife and I return to our new home. It's nothing spectacular, but it's more important of the people who live in the home, than the house itself.

Immediately as we enter the house, Katniss pulls me into her embrace. "I can't believe any of this actually happened…"

"Well believe it, Mrs. Hawthorne."

With shining eyes, she looks up at me. "I can't believe I have you now."

We stand in our living room with our arms wrapped around each other for a little while. Eventually, we both get tired and agree to head off to bed.

When we arrive to the bedroom, I immediately feel the atmosphere change around us. Neither of us act on our want, however.

After changing into pajamas and getting into bed, Katniss snuggles up against my bare chest. She locks her skinny arms around me and they still cannot reach the entire way around my abdomen. My arms, however, can still easily fit around her waist.

"Night, Catnip," I whisper tiredly.

"G'night, Gale."

* * *

**A/N: **WHEN DID THIS TURN INTO A 5,000 WORD STORY OMG. I find myself asking that a little too often. Oh well, I like the way this one turned out and I hope you did too. (:


End file.
